Kedarnath prayers: Authorities to review preparations soon

Dehradun: A meeting to review preparations for resuming regular prayers at the revered Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath will be held on September one, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said on Tuesday.

The meeting between the Kedarnath-Badrinath Mandir Samiti will be held in the presence of Shankaracharya, he told reporters here.

Besides taking stock of the preparations, the meeting will ascertain whether it is possible to resume prayers at the shrine on September 11 as announced earlier, Bahuguna said.

Prayers were stalled at the temple after a massive deluge caused large-scale devastation in June.

Reiterating his government`s commitment to resume prayers at the shrine as early as possible, Bahuguna said all help will be extended to temple authorities in this regard.

Earlier this month, the state government took a decision to resume prayers at the Kedarnath shrine on the occasion of Sarvarthasiddhi Amrit Yog on September 11.

A 40-member team has been engaged in building a bridge over river Mandakini on way to Kedarnath in place of the earlier one which was washed away during the natural calamity.

The debris lying inside the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple and adjoining areas have been cleared.